Toward Coordination Polymers Based on Fine-Tunable Group 13 Organometallic Phthalates

A family of group 13 organometallic macrocyclic phthalates [(MMe2)2(μ-O2C)2-1,2-C6H4]2 (where M = Al (1), Ga (2), In (3)) is prepared, and the reactivity of these homologous carboxylates toward various monodentate Lewis bases is investigated. The studies provide the first structurally characterized methylindium [{(Me2In)(μ-O2C)2-1,2-C6H4}{Me2In(THF)}]n (4) and methylaluminum [{(Me2Al)(μ-O2C)2-1,2-C6H4}{Me2Al(py-Me)}]n (5) 1D coordination polymers stabilized by dicarboxylate ligands as a result of disruption of the parent tetranuclear macrocyclic structural motifs in 3 and 1 by the incoming donor ligands. The molecular and crystal structures of the reported compounds are examined by spectroscopic studies and single-crystal X-ray diffraction.